More victims step forward after Virginia contractor arrested, they claim thousands stolen
More homeowners have come forward alleging Richard Craig Tadlock took their money without constructing homes he was contracted to finish.
Chapter 1 Arvelle West
Sifting through piles of wood, uninstalled appliances, and an unfinished house, Arvelle West, 68, has just enough energy to wipe away a stream of endless tears.
“I feel like I have kicked up the rear, kneed in the gut and slapped in the face,” said West. “No one should hurt like this. I wasn't expecting this. He's brought me down. He's really taken a lot out of me.”
The "he" West references is building contractor Richard Craig Tadlock with T&S Homebuilders. He is commonly referred to by his middle name 'Craig.'
Tadlock turned himself into Fairfax County Police in October, hours after WUSA9 published an investigative report profiling serious allegations about him and T&S Homebuilders. Multiple customers told WUSA9, Tadlock took hundreds of thousands of dollars and failed to build and or complete houses he was contracted to construct.
Charging documents, obtained by WUSA9, show Tadlock is facing six felony counts including one count of obtaining money by false pretense and five for advance pay and larceny for failure to perform construction. The charges involve home construction projects between March of 2021 through July of 2022.
WUSA9 spoke with Tadlock months before he was formally charged and arrested.
“These people are lying and conniving people,” explained Tadlock in a phone interview with WUSA9’s Larry Miller over the summer.
When asked if all of the homeowners who came forward were lying, he responded, “I’m telling you there’s some in the bunch. These homeowners that are complaining to you were absentee.”
Tadlock has not responded to recent attempts by WUSA9 to reach him for comment.
“He came into my home, sat at my kitchen table. Not knowing, I was going to be another victim,” said West reflecting on her years' long experience with Tadlock.
Documents show West hired T&S Homebuilders in October of 2021 to construct a three-bedroom house in Locust Grove, Virginia. The contract said it would take an estimated 20 weeks. West anticipated she would move into her dream home sometime in 2022.
Throughout the process, West said she dealt with unexplained delays, frequent periods with no work on the lot, and endless construction errors. As 2023 comes to an end, the house remains unfinished. West has also received fines by her community, Lake of the Woods, because the construction has not been completed within six months from the start of construction, which the community covenant mandates.
“I immediately forward that to him,” said West as she recalled her conversation with Craig Tadlock about the fines she received from her homeowners association. “I turned that page and started pounding on that damn table showing him dollar value that I’m going to be responsible for if you do not get your crap together.”
Frustrated, West fired Tadlock and T&S Homebuilders. She hired another contractor to finish her home construction but expects to hand over even more money to have a list of mistakes corrected.
Chapter 2 Alex Vuoung
Alex Vuoung signed a contract with T&S Homebuilders in March of 2022 to have a single family house constructed in Fairfax County, Virginia. The contract stated construction would take an estimated 24 weeks. He said Craig Tadlock was his point of contact and was overseeing the project.
“People in Fairfax County should know about this guy,” said Alex Vuoung, a former T&S Homebuilders customer.
Before Vuoung could have his dream home constructed, it required an existing house on the property to be demolished. But as weeks turned into months, no substantial work took place on the property and the house that should have been demolished remains standing.
“Nothing has been done. The deposit is gone. I've spent almost $300,000.00,” said Vuoung.
He added no permits were filed on the house for construction.
“All of that stuff [Craig] is talking about, it’s just straight lies to your face. I've never had that experience before,” Vuoung said.
Vuoung sent a letter to Tadlock and T&S Homebuilders demanding $250,000 be returned for failure to perform work outlined in the contract.
But there’s a twist.
Both Alex Vuoung and Arvelle West find themselves connected in an unusual way. The property that was purchased by Alex Vuoung in Fairfax County was owned by Arvelle West. She sold her longtime home to Vuoung, so she could build a new home in Locust Grove closer to her son and his family. Now, the two find themselves caught in a web of deception and delays, out of thousands of dollars and still do not have finished houses to show for their investments.
“How could someone do that to another person,” wondered Vuoung. “Taking their money, their life savings and don't care."
WUSA9 reached out to Craig Tadlock for his response to the allegations, but our calls were not returned. We also stopped by an address court documents show, is connected to Tadlock, but no one answered. Tadlock is out of jail after posting bond.
There’s more.
James and Jenna Ferrell, along with six other families interviewed by WUSA9, said that J.B. Benson, a real estate agent with Long & Foster, worked in partnership with Craig Tadlock in the real estate transaction and sale of their properties and bears some responsibility.
In a civil lawsuit filed by the Ferrell’s against J.B Benson and Long & Foster Realty, the couple claims Benson is culpable because he was "aware of Craig Tadlock’s prior adverse history, knew Tadlock, held no Class A license, and had recently defrauded other potential customers of hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of the prior fraudulent building schemes," said a legal filing submitted to the District Court in Fairfax County.
“It's unfortunate to say that our trust has been degraded by the experience but that is the reality,” said Jenna Ferrell.
The couple are seeking compensatory damages of $399, 887.
In a response, lawyers representing both J.B Benson and Long & Foster Realty said the complaint filed to provide facts to support claims including fraud and false advertisement and have asked the court to dismiss the case with prejudice.
"Mr. Benson and Long & Foster maintain that these allegations are without merit and deny any wrongdoing, but because there is an active lawsuit, we cannot comment further," said Craig Franco, an attorney representing both J.B. Benson and Long & Foster.
Arvelle West said she didn't expect a home construction project to become a nightmare.
“I thought I was dealing with a reputable company,” said Arvelle West referring to her experience with T&S Homebuilders. “Craig would never have entered my life if it wasn't for JB Benson.”
In the meantime, Ms. West is hoping a new contractor will finish constructing her forever home. As for Alex Vuoung, he's lost more than a place to call home.
“I'm paying an equity loan as [Craig] walks away with my money,” shouted Vuoung.
Chapter 3 Consumer Advice
Experts recommend consumers do their research and ask plenty of questions before agreeing to do business with any contractor or company.
"Ask to see examples of the specific type of work you need to have performed and the phone number for those clients that had that work performed so you can ask what their experience was like," said Philip Dancer, a certified home inspector.
Additionally, he recommends consumers ask any potential contractor the number of projects they are working on to assess whether or not they have taken on too many projects, which may limit the amount of time spent completing their project efficiently.
"Ask the general contractor how they will update you on the progress," said Dancer. "For longer projects, they [should] update you weekly.
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